60-year-old killed as portion of five-storeyed Vadodara bus station collapses
Decorative facade made of POP and metal at entrance of bus station gives way; Constructed at a cost of Rs 114 crore under PPP, the first “modern terminal” in Gujarat was inaugurated in February 2014
A 60-year-old man was crushed to death after a portion of the metal and plaster of paris (POP) facade of the five-storeyed Vadodara Central Bus Depot collapsed on him on Friday afternoon. The deceased has been identified as Nagji Dave, a resident of Chandkheda in Ahmedabad.
The Vadodara city police lodged a case of accidental death and launched a probe. The police also facilitated an alternate route for the buses plying to and from the depot till the structure is examined for stability.
The Vadodara Central Bus Depot is located across the road from the Vadodara Junction Railway Station in the Sayajigunj area. The bus terminal, with a traffic of about 900 buses and 35,000 passengers per day, is one of the busiest and most important bus terminals in the state.
A portion of its POP facade collapsed on Friday afternoon, causing panic and minor disruption of bus services. (Source: Express Photo)
The inter-city and inter-state, multi-level bus terminal with a commercial hub, food court and a multiplex, constructed at a cost of Rs 114 crores under a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model by the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) and realty company Cube Construction, was inaugurated by then Chief Minister Narendra Modi in February 2014 and known to be the state’s first “modern terminal” with “airport-like facilities”.
A portion of its POP facade collapsed on Friday afternoon, causing panic and minor disruption of bus services as large portions of the metal frame as well as POP came crashing down to the ground from the top of the five-storey structure near the entrance. The debris fell on Nagji Dave, a traveller. The staff at the bus depot and locals rushed Dave to the hospital, where he was declared dead, police said.
Teams of the Sayajigunj police station and the fire department arrived at the spot and cordoned off the area where the facade collapsed. The GSRTC and the police also opened an alternate route for the buses to enter and exit from the back gate of the terminal.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Jagdish Chavda, Zone 1, Vadodara City, said: “As soon as we received the information, a team from the Sayajigunj police station rushed to the spot. We have received information that one person aged about 60 years old was killed. We have opened a separate route for buses and sanitised the area to ensure that no other accidents happen as facilitation of passenger movement and safety is the priority right now.”
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A large portion of the metal frame as well as POP came crashing down to the ground from the top of the five-storey structure near the entrance. (Source: Express Photo)
Chavda added that the teams of the Gujarat Engineering Research Institute (GERI) as well as the Forensic Science Laboratory had collected samples for further investigation.
“The GERI and FSL teams have collected samples. Whatever comes out of the report, further action will be taken accordingly. Currently, an accidental death has been registered but we will initiate action against any persons who are found to have committed negligence or omission in the incident, as the probe proceeds,” Chavda said.
GSRTC Regional Director J N Patel said that the technical team of the GSRTC had also begun a probe to ascertain how the incident took place. “The main building at the entrance of the bus station has a decorative facade made of POP, which gave way today. The technical team is conducting a detailed probe to ascertain the cause of the accident… The back road at the side of the Janmahal transport hub (a multimodal transport hub and commercial complex adjacent to the bus terminal), which had been kept closed, will be opened for movement of buses for now.”
With a frequency of about 35 buses per hour, the Vadodara Central Bus Station connects buses from the State Transport Corporations of Rajasthan (RSRTC), Madhya Pradesh (MPSRTC) and Maharashtra (MSRTC).
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
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A portion of its POP facade collapsed on Friday afternoon, causing panic and minor disruption of bus services. (Source: Express Photo)
A large portion of the metal frame as well as POP came crashing down to the ground from the top of the five-storey structure near the entrance. (Source: Express Photo)